mixed blend of chocolate

Jyuuzaengi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~: Chou Un’s Route

Next is Chou Un (CV: Suzumura Kenichi), who works under Kouson San. He’s an absolute gentleman and is aptly described at having a way with women in the most natural way – while still being sincere and polite. Though perhaps that makes him a bit odd too lol. I recommend reading at least Chou Hi’s review first ‘cos all the common stuff is explained there; I’m not going into overlapping details for the following routes.

Chapter 1-3

I followed a guide which let me do Chou Ryou & Chou Un’s route together up till the Momozono events in Chapter 3 so I won’t bother going through the same events again. It’s roughly the same as every other route though.

Rakuyou, Chou Un 1: A kid starts throwing stones at Kan U when she’s in the capital. Troubled over how to handle a kid, a dark-haired guy comes to step in and firmly tells the kid that he’s wrong despite all the Jyuuza rumours. After the kid runs off, he introduces himself as Chou Un and also offers to help out Kan U whenever she needs to.

Rakuyou, Chou Un 2: After a fight with the Yellow Turban rebels, Kan U’s leg is kinda hurt but she insists on going to report to Sou Sou about the results before getting proper treatment. Chou Un meets her along the way and insists on treating her injury. Even though he’s used to this, Chou Un remarks that it’s a first treating for a woman and Kan U thinks to herself that she’s probably unlike other females since she’s out on the battlefield. Chou Un later offers to see her back but Kan U rejects since she has to run along.

Rakuyou, Chou Un 3: It’s nighttime and seeing Kan U alone, Chou Un offers to see her back. He actually came to Rakuyou to check the situation (of Yellow Turban rebels) to report to Kouson San and he plans to return to Yu Shuu soon. Kan U promises to see him off on that day and back at the camp, she gives him some sweets she had made earlier for Ryuu Bi as thanks for seeing her ‘home’.

Rakuyou, Chou Hi and Chou Un: Kan U and Chou Hi are preparing for tonight’s meal when Chou Un drops by to return the cloth she used to give him the sweets in the last time. Chou Hi is naturally on his guard but Chou Un handles him very well as he remarks that it’s only natural to be like that and how Chou Hi seems to really treat her importantly. This gets Chou Hi embarrassed who starts to see Chou Un in better light and apologises for the earlier treatment.

Rakuyou, Chou Un 4: Kan U sees Chou Un off and gives him some chimaki for the return journey. Chou Un thanks her and looks forward to eating them, praising her that she would be a good wife in his usual, straightforward manner. Kan U is not used to praises and gets embarrassed but Chou Un says that it’s not flattery. He looks forward to seeing her again in future.

The rest of Chapter 3 is the same up till Kan U goes to cool her head after hearing that Sou Sou plans to attack Tou Taku. She refuses Chou Ryou’s offer to confide in him and returns straight to tell the rest of the Maozoku. The rest of the chapter proceeds similarly to Chou Hi’s/Ryuu Bi’s.

Chapter 4

It starts off similarly till Chou Un sees Kan U at the campsite and they each explain to each other their own situation and reasons for being here. Chou Un offers to help them anytime, not bothering what others may say about him helping Maozoku. When he sees Kan U, he just can’t help but want to help her. Ryuu Bi also comes along and they introduce themselves to each other. Later that night, Kan U is uneasy and wants to go collect some more information on the battle tomorrow. She decides to go find Chou Un, who reassures her thinking that she won’t be fighting since she’s a woman. Kan U finds it awkward to tell him the truth, since she wouldn’t know what he would really think of her then.

The next day at the battle field, Chou Un chases after Kan U but she has no time to explain to him since Sou Sou threatens to kill off the Maozoku if she doesn’t defeat Ka Yuu first. At the same time, En Jutsu orders his own men to attack Ka Yuu, including Ki Rei. Ka Yuu overpowers them though and En Jutsu orders them to retreat. Kan U ends up saving En Jutsu and then jumps off Ki Rei to give a decisive blow to Ka Yuu. Everyone is shocked at her win, and Chou Un comes to find her later, saying that he misjudged her greatly. But Kan U says that she was still happy that he offered to protect her since no one told her that before. Chou Un recognises that she’s strong, but whenever she needs it his offer to protect her still stands, making Kan U embarrassed. Chou Un then questions her reasons for having to fight but Kan U refuses to say it since it only concerns the Maozoku. Though visibly disappointed, Chou Un is always ready to listen to her and help her. Kan U asks why he’s going so far for her, and Chou Un answers that he isn’t sure himself – it just feels natural for him to do so and he’s only following his instincts. Kan U can’t help but feel that he’s a good person, but also peculiar.

At night, Kan U decides to go for the banquet but wants to retire early for the night. Chou Un helps Kan U from getting forced into the centre attention, though he admits himself that he only wanted to talk to her too. Kouson San comes over and after the introductions, he offers to help Kan U out anytime – but he also seems to have other matters. After he leaves them, Chou Un asks Kan U not to act as brashly as today in tomorrow’s battle. Though Kan U thanks him, she also says that she may do anything in order to protect her important ones. She thanks him for coming after her earlier today and leaves. But Chou Un holds her back, as he tells her to stop always carrying the burden by herself and to learn to rely on people, such as himself since he offered to help her out anytime.

Shocked by Chou Un’s sudden outburst as he hugs her, Kan U merely apologises and says that she didn’t mean to come across like that. However this still remains a problem of the Maozoku‘s and she doesn’t want to involve him. She runs off as Chou Un calls out after her. The next day, Kan U is nervous as first when she sees Chou Un. But he doesn’t mention last night’s incident and says that they’ll work hard together – but she shouldn’t push herself either. She has her own people and him to rely on. Afterwards, Kan U gives the signal late and this puts them in a disadvantage at the start. The same stuff happens as in Chou Hi’s route when Chou Hi going beast-mode and all. Chou Un came by to help them but is surprised to see the situation and Kan U explains it to him. Both of them go to stop Chou Hi, and Chou Un manages to knock senses into Chou Hi. The rest of the chapter is the same as Chou Hi’s/Ryuu Bi’s: with Ryo Fu sensing something, attacking Kan U when she’s alone with Ryuu Bi etc.

Chapter 5

This starts off the same with Chou Hi’s/Ryuu Bi’s route. Just that only Kan U goes with Chou Un to see Kouson San at first. With her being nervous, Chou Un jokes that he feels like pinching her cheeks. He also comments that he likes seeing her natural expressions and this makes Kan U further embarrassed. Later that night, Kan U goes to explore the area and meets Chou Un. Seeing her still uncomfortable, he reassures her that give some time, the people will accept them and not see them as how the rumours pictured them to be. They did nothing wrong so there’s no need for her to be fearful. Kan U thanks him, but besides Kouson Etsu there may be objections by other people. Chou Un reassures her and tells her to not blame herself. Besides the fact that it’s Kouson San’s wish, he himself would also like to be helpful to them all. She also comments on how trusted he is by Kouson San and vice versa. Chou Un says that he’s like a parent to him, having grown up with any. This is the same as Kan U, who starts to explain her complex about being of mixed blood. But after meeting him and other kind people, she feels better about the human blood in her. Kan U would like to be able to grow to like humans. Hearing this, Chou Un says that he’ll work hard for her to like him too lol. He later insists on seeing her back.

As they spend peaceful days in Yu Shuu, it’s chaos outside with Sou Sou growing his army and En Shou threatening the peace of Kouson San’s territory. One day, Chou Un is helping Kan U to chop wood and later wants to invite her to go riding. But a soldier reports to Chou Un that En Shou’s men are approaching their borders so Chou Un goes to check the situation. Worried, Kan U follows him despite his advice to stay back. In the end though, both of them chase away En Shou’s men since it’s a small number and their reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet. Kan U also helps an injured girl who had gotten lost, and treats her injury. Kan U apologises to Chou Un for coming along on her own, since now that En Shou knows that Maozoku are with them he may strength his attacks against them. But Chou Un tells her not to mind and just asks her not to jump straight into dangerous situations anymore. It doesn’t matter how strong she is, he just wants her to lead a peaceful life. Kan U is touched since that’s the first time someone has told her to not fight.

Later on, Kan U is worried about whether their peace will be disrupted by En Shou’s attacks. Chou Un comes to find Kan U to invite her to a village festival. In fact, the girl from the other day wanted to thank Kan U and so Chou Un suggested inviting Kan U to their festival. Kan U is apprehensive at first, but the other villagers welcome her warmly as they heard that she saved the girl and also chased off En Shou’s men with Chou Un. After the festival, Kan U thanks Chou Un for inviting her. Chou Un drops the gentleman lines again as he says that he merely wanted to go to the festival together with her. As Kan U happily says that she had fun, Chou Un gets self-conscious since it’s the first time he has seen her smile like that – it was like a surprise attack. As much as Chou Un admires her fighting figure, he would rather see her smiling face like at the festival. He starts remarking on how bright her smile was and how he can’t take his eyes off her. Before he embarrasses Kan U further, Chou Un sees her back.

Yu Shuu, Chou Un 1: Kan U goes to give Chou Un some sweets and finds him at the fields checking on the horses. As she offers to help him out, Chou Un comments on her kind nature as a young horse approaches her openly, even though it’s usually scared of strangers – since horses can be sensitive creatures and all. Kan U thinks the same about Chou Un as she sees him tend to the horses.

Yu Shuu, Chou Un 2: Chou Un comes to check on the Maozoku, and they invite him to stay for dinner. As things get noisy and Chou Un talks to Kan U, he realises that her original self belongs to this sort of setting rather than a battlefield.

The rest of the chapter is the same with Sou Sou building up his army and Ryo Fu killing off Tou Taku etc.

Chapter 6

Ryuu Bi is playing along the riverside with Chou Hi and Kan U is working on the fields. When she returns she’s all dirty after the work and Chou Un happens to visit them. Kan Tei remarks how it’s not very nice for her to go see him in this condition, but guesses that neither of them would get it anyway lol. True enough, Chou Un even remarks that he likes seeing her like this, and Kan Tei can only comment on how bold he is – of course Chou Un fails to understand his implications. Kan U merely thinks to herself that Chou Un has never changed from their first meeting, aka his meaning of “like” remains the same. Kan Tei says that they might actually be quite suitable for each other with how much of a natural airhead Chou Un is and this earns him a punch from Kan U lol. Anyway, Chou Un’s real motive for coming down is ‘cos Kouson San wants to see Kan U tomorrow. En Shou’s army has invaded their territories and it may have to do with the issue of impending war. Chou Un remarks that humans are greedy creatures unlike Maozoku who only want peace. Kan U tells him not to say such sad things about his own people. Hearing this, he apologises and remarks that indeed it threatens the whole of Yu Shuu and has nothing to do with humans vs. Maozoku. As Kan U tells the rest this later, they are all generally against getting involved with another war. Kan U understands this but still feels in debt to Kouson San for what he provided for them.

The next day, Kouson San expresses his intention to first talk to En Shou, since he’d like to prevent war if possible. Kouson Etsu points out that he shouldn’t appear weak, especially when En Shou first invaded them, killed their men and set fire to their border villages. This will only allow En Shou to threaten them further and invade their territories more. Kouson San understands this but he heard that there were complications the other day, both Chou Un and Kan U were present. Perhaps there were other reasons for En Shou attacking and he would like to hear Kan U’s side of the story too just in case. Kan U firmly recounts that they had no wrong and En Shou’s men invaded them first, they merely chased them out. In that case, Kouson San decides to reason with En Shou, reason being on their side. He orders Chou Un to go negotiate with En Shou, and Kan U insists on coming along. Kouson San warns her that if negotiation fails, war may break out there and then and Maozoku will be dragged into war again. Kan U expresses that this doesn’t have to do with human or Maozoku affairs, as it threatens the whole of Yu Shuu and Kouson San did ask them to think of themselves as part of Yu Shuu. Kouson San gives in to her request in the end. Though Chou Un appears sad that she’s being pulled into this, he firmly states that he will beat En Shou’s men away if negotiation falls through. Kouson San remarks how it’s rare for Chou Un to announce strong statements like this, and wonders if it’s thanks to Kan U’s influence.

I knew that I would need this blushing Chou Un as a filler somewhere. /kicked

On the way, Chou Un asks after Ryuu Bi and Kan U remarks that he even wanted to see Chou Un – it’s like they’ve become brothers. Chou Un is happy to hear this as he likes all of them – but he is bringing her to such a dangerous situation now. Kan U insists that it’s her own will and Chou Un remarks how she’s always thinking for others. That’s her virtue but he also can’t help but not leave her alone. He can’t stop her from fighting to protect others, so the least he can do is to protect her. They meet En Shou, who tries to explain that it was an unfortunate misunderstanding and he had no intention of attacking Yu Shuu. It was his men’s own ambitious initiative and he set up a camp here to punish them, pointing out the beheaded heads in a distance. Hearing this, Chou Un asks him to retreat if they’re done here. Feeling apologetic, En Shou gives monetary offerings and a letter of apology. Chou Un would actually like to take back the dead bodies to return them to their families, and En Shou immediately agrees, offering to write apologies to all families. The issue is settled smoothly and Kan U is impressed by how Chou Un handled everything.

After it’s resolved, Kouson San invites Kan U, Chou Hi and Ryuu Bi to the capital area as thanks for Kan U’s effort. Chou Un is showing them around and Ryuu Bi grows interested in the shiny accessories at a store targetting females lol. Chou Un wants to pick something out for Kan U since they’re here, and the owner immediately recognises Chou Un, mentioning something about his previous buy. Kan U wonders if he came here with a female before, and feels relieved when she learns that he came here on Kouson San’s orders to collect something for his niece. Ryuu Bi points out a pearl accessory and how it’s similar to Kan U’s charm (left to her by her mother). As the owner mentions how they’ve many rare goods ‘cos En Shou’s side has exported lots stuff over, Chou Hi still feels uneasy about him. Just then, a soldier reports to Chou Un news of En Jutsu attacking Jo Shuu. Chou Un has to report to Kouson San immediately and he feels a bit sorry since he wanted to spend more time with Kan U, which gets Chou Hi riled up lol. However, Kouson Etsu calls for Jyuuza too so they end up going in together.

This proceeds the same as Ryuu Bi’s/Chou Hi’s routes with the Maozoku and Chou Un leading 2,000 men to help Jo Shuu. As they near Jo Shuu, they see the two armies fighting each other in a distance. Jo Shuu’s side only has 3,000 while En Jutsu is personally leading 10,000 men. However, they’re fighting on narrow terrains so they decide to spring a surprise attack with a few staying behind with Ryuu Bi. En Jutsu calls for his reserve army in return and they should retreat since even Jo Shuu’s men are fleeing. But they fail to call back Chou Hi who has dived in too deep to go after En Jutsu. Very timely, En Shou appears with his army to drive En Jutsu out, who only calls En Shou a hypocrite. En Jutsu has no choice but to retreat. Later on Tou Ken thanks both of them and wants to let En Shou govern Jo Shuu. En Shou rejects his offer, citing that people will only think that he was after territory like En Jutsu. He instead suggests Ryuu Bi, and so Tou Ken offers it to the Maozoku. Same events, just that Kan U feels lonely since this means having to part with Chou Un. Later that night, Kan U confides this in Chou Un, who admits that he feels the same way. If possible, he would like to stay in Jo Shuu with her. The rest of the chapter is the same.

Chapter 7

The chapter starts off the same as Jo Shuu recovers, while chaos remains outside ‘cos of Sou Sou and En Jutsu.

Jo Shuu, Chou Un 1: Kan U is helping to cut a girl’s hair and Chou Un chances upon this. The girl ends up asking her to trim Chou Un’s hair too. The distance between them gets really close when Kan U is trimming his fringe and Chou Un ends up saying straightforwardly how pretty her eyes are lol.

Jo Shuu, Chou Un 2: It’s raining heavily outside and Kan U is actually afraid of thunder. Seeing this, Chou Un reassures her from holding her hand to hugging her shoulders pfft. Hearing that only Chou Seihei knows this secret fear of hers, Chou Un is happy and tells her to rely on him anytime and to continue to keep this a secret from other people.

Jo Shuu, Chou Un 3: They’re holding a banquet for everyone in Jo Shuu and Chou Un helps Kan U to carry the foodstuff she bought for that night. Kan U notices that a leaf has fallen on his head and stretches to reach for it. She loses her balance instead and Chou Un catches her. He didn’t know what she was doing at first and started getting embarrassed when she got closer to him. Chou Un tells her to be more aware of herself.

Kan U is taking a break from work and Chou Un comes to find her, commending on the good work she has done so far in the past half year. Kan U asks if he’s returning to Yu Shuu soon and he himself is unsure. Seeing her lonely expression, Chou Un says that he feels the same way too and would like to remain together – or he’ll just take her back with him lol. On another day, Chou Un invites Kan U out to go riding with him since they were interrupted the last time. Kan U feels nervous as she’s with him, not that Chou Un seems to sense anything lol. When Kan U asked if they’ll be alone, Chou Un says that the horse is with them pffft. Chou Un tells Kan U that he’s planning to return to Yu Shuu to check on the situation, plus he has an uneasy feeling. True enough when they return, a messenger has come to tell Chou Un that Kouson San has been in poor health for the past few months and calls for him to return. Kan U decides to return with Chou Un, as she’s worried about him too, in addition to Kouson San.

In Yu Shuu, Kouson San is happy to see both of them and later asks to talk to Kan U alone. He doesn’t think he has much time left to live and would like to ask Kan U to help him with a last request. He explains that over 15 years ago, Yu Shuu was under attack by vagrants and so he often had to fight against them. After many years, his men managed to chase them away – or so he thought. He ended up lost and separated and it turns out that it was their trap, as they thought they could take him as hostage. As Kouson San tried to run away, a Maozoku girl found him and hid him from danger and later even helped to tend to his injuries. He couldn’t enter her village since he’s human, but everyday she would come to see him. When he recovered, he asked her to return with him and she did. Everyone was apprehensive at first when they saw her, but eventually accepted her – or so he thought. When he voiced his intention to marry her, his father objected and in fact it wasn’t that they accepted her as a Maozoku, but ‘cos she was his saviour. Kouson San persisted on though, till one day she disappeared ‘cos his father had exiled her. Kouson San never saw her again even though he knew her village’s location, he also felt guilty for taking her out in the first place and didn’t have the resolution to abandon everything for her. Eventually he took over Yu Shuu when his father passed away and he never forgotten her (which explains why he never married). All he could do as atonement was so correct the wrong impressions people have of Maozoku. He’d always wanted to see her one last time to apologise though and Kan U reminded him of her very much. Kouson San asks Kan U to help him find her, Sekiran (雪蘭). Kan U agrees to his request and goes to find Chou Un later.

As she’s going to return to Jo Shuu while he remains in Yu Shuu, Kan U tells him to be strong. Chou Un hugs her, as he admits that it was more of a shock than he had expected. Kan U promises to return at the end of the month as she vaguely explains Kouson San’s request for her to find someone. And after hearing Kouson San’s story of a love between a human and Maozoku, she feels more positively towards her own heritage and parents, and that maybe they didn’t abandon her ‘cos she felt ashamed of her. Back in Jo Shuu, Kan U decides to ask Chou Seihei about this. He appears hesitant at first, but eventually reveals that Sekiran is actually Kan U’s mother. Sekiran was a nickname she used since young, and he knows ‘cos they were childhood friends. Her real name is actually Kan Rei (関麗). When she returned to the village she was already pregnant with Kan U, but refused to say who the father was. Though they all guessed that it was a human already. After Kan U was born, everyone wasn’t sure how to handle her and Kan Rei disappeared, leaving her to Chou Seihei to raise. She felt that she had sinned and would at least like her child to be raised normally. Chou Seihei remarks on how Kan U is similar to both her parents. Since her mother gave her nickname to Kouson San, it was as if she was throwing away her other self to be with him. After she disappeared, Chou Seihei continued to secretly search for her but when he finally found her, she had already passed away.

Later, Kan U is bothered by whether to tell the truth to Kouson San since it’s sad news and he’s probably not aware that he had a child either. The end of the month arrives and Chou Un comes to find Kan U. Apparently she has fallen sick and while Chou Hi is daydreaming about how he’ll take care of her, Chou Un keeps drawing his sword against Chou Hi out of jealously lol. Chou Un goes to find Kan U and says that he’ll take care of her, since he can’t let other men see her so defenceless. When Kan U denies this, he easily hugs her and bumps foreheads against her. As he asks about the request she was handed with, Chou Un reveals that it is known back in Yu Shuu that Kouson San was in love with a Maozoku. But Chou Un doesn’t believe it has anything to do your background, but on the bond between people – whether it be friendship, family etc. He’s not so sure about lovers but believes that a strong bond must’ve existed between them. As Kan U wonders what the bond is between her and Kouson San, Chou Un firmly answers that it must be truth, since he entrusted his last request to her. Kan U eventually confides the truth in him, and shows him the charm left by her mother. Chou Un recognises this as a handicraft of Yu Shuu, and that perhaps Kouson San gave this to her mother. He asks if Kan U wants to return with him asap to confirm this. When Kan U expresses her fear, Chou Un says that she may regret it when he has passed away already and he’ll be by her side. There isn’t a father who doesn’t love his daughter and he’d like Kan U to have that experience too. Kan U agrees to return in the end though Chou Un appears apprehensive.

Back in Yu Shuu, Kan U still feels nervous and wants to take Chou Un’s hand for courage – but he shakes it away to her surprise. Before she can say anything, Kouson San enters and Kan U struggles to tell him the truth. At that moment, Chou Un takes her hand secretly and eventually Kan U tells Kouson San the truth about her mother and herself. Kouson San is sad to hear she has passed away, but delighted to have found a daughter. Later, Kan U thanks Chou Un for giving her the courage, but he kneels before her instead as Kouson San tells him to serve her as he would serve him. Kouson San eventually recovers and gets better. Kan U remains in Yu Shuu but it isn’t publicly announced that she’s his daughter. Kan U sent a letter back to the Maozoku in Jo Shuu to explain everything. Though Chou Un continues to be by her side, she notices that he no longer acts the same as before, and always walks a step behind her now. She did tell him to stop with the keigo etc. since he’s the only one she can relax with in this castle. Chou Un gives in but still stands by his role as her subordinate. Seeing this, Kan U thinks to herself how he’s gotten further away from her now.

On one of the consecutive nights when Kouson San has been holding banquets, he announces that Kan U is is daughter. Everyone seems to be pleasantly surprised at the news since he now has a successor – except Kouson Etsu. He even gets drunk and harasses Kan U, till Chou Un steps in. He reassures her that everyone is happy about the news, but asks if she misses the rest and wants to go to Jo Shuu. Kan U says otherwise since Chou Un is by her side here. Despite this, he answers that though he isn’t as important as Chou Hi or Ryuu Bi, he’ll do anything she orders him to do. Seeing her looking unwell, Chou Un unconsciously touches her forehead but quickly draws back and apologises. Kan U clarifies if their relationship won’t return to how it was before, and he confirms this as she’s his master’s daughter and the future successor to Yu Shuu.

Apparently, he knew this would happen from the moment she confided the truth in him but he didn’t say anything ‘cos he felt that her reconciling with Kouson San would be happiness for her. Chou Un will continue to remain by her side to protect her though. Kan U firmly states that it’s different since and how he’s near but feels very far now. She returns to her room and sees Kouson San. He’s evidently worried about her and their relationship, and Kan U reassures him that she’s just confused by everything. When asked if she would like anything, Kan U asks to hear him talk about her mother and in the end this becomes a daily thing for them. As much as she has Chou Un to thank for for gaining back her father, her relationship with Chou Un now is never the same.

One night, Kouson Etsu rebels and sets the castle on fire, as he claims to the people that Kouson San remains unconscious and that Kan U snatched the title away from him. Chou Un comes to find Kan U to escape, but she refuses to leave Kouson San behind. Meanwhile, Kouson Etsu tells Kouson San to hand over the title and his life will be spared – Kan U’s will be killed no matter what though. Of course he refuses and Kan U and Chou Un appear at this moment. The father and daughter escape while Chou Un remains with the other men to fight. Still, Kouson San knows that he can’t make it and tells Kan U to leave him behind, and to live on happily. Seeing the oncoming arrows, he takes the blow for Kan U. When Chou Un hurries over, Kouson San secretly tells him his last wish: he has always been like a son to him, and he would like Chou Un to serve Kan U and protect her happiness from now on, till she marries and her husband takes over Yu Shuu. Chou Un can only accept this and escapes with a reluctant Kan U, as she finally calls Kouson San her “father” for the first and last time.

Outside, they see En Shou leading his men over as he heard of Kouson Etsu’s rebellion. Chou Un explains everything to En Shou, including the true identity of Kan U. En Shou says that they’ll need a claim to chase Kouson Etsu away, and Kan U will be the reason of this since she’s the rightful successor. She’d like to resolve this without hurting anyone though since the soldiers are part of the people too. Chou Un thinks that they should lose their will to fight for Kouson Etsu upon seeing En Shou’s large army and should understand her reasoning. So they march in to ask them to surrender, and Kouson Etsu appears shocked to see En Shou here. His men are persuaded by Kan U’s words since they should be protecting their land instead, and so they capture Kouson Etsu. Kan U also addresses the common people later on to reassure them, and things get busy with restoration work etc. but the loss of her father also strengthen’s Kan U’s resolution to protect Yu Shuu.

One night, En Shou comes to find Kan U as he comforts her about the loss of her father, and offers to help her out. Chou Un can only remain outside the room as he griefs over how Kouson San has given him such a cruel order, as he can only watch Kan U be with someone else. As such, everything changed overnight and Kan U updates the Maozoku on the change of affairs. She’s still inexperienced in governing but there’s lots of support for her so that motivates her to work harder.

Chapter 8

Chou Un comes to find Kan U while she’s doing work, and as he remarks how she represents hope for the people, he also advises her not to push herself since Kouson San also fell ill as a result of that. Before she can continue the conversation though, he leaves her room to return to his patrol. Later, Ryuu Bi and co. come to visit Kan U. As they explain to Ryuu Bi that Kan U’s job is similar to his, he happily remarks that they match each other so they can marry each other for a “political marriage” – something he was taught lmao. ❤ The rest remark that the topic of marriage will come to her sooner or later though, and can with influential people from her own land. Both Chou Hi and Ryuu Bi end up crying when they hear this pfft. Kan U calms them down as she still has to focus on her work first, though she is secretly happy when Kan Tei points out that Chou Un would be suitable as a general.

After the banquet, Chou Seihei finds Chou Un, as he questions Chou Un’s real feelings since it seems plain obvious to him that the couple have feelings for each other – especially when Chou Un seemed to really adore her like a kitty back then pfft. Chou Un insists otherwise though, as he cites Kouson San’s last wish which completely phased him out to be Kan U’s husband. Chou Seihei empathises with him, but he’s sure that Kouson San wouldn’t want this either. It’ll be too late for him to regret when Kan U is taken by another guy as an elder’s advise, though it’s more from Chou Seihei’s own personal experience. Chou Un understands what he’s trying to say but still feels tied down.

Ryuu Bi and co. return after a few days and as time passes, Kan U calls for Chou Un one day to discuss about the border security. En Shou pointed out that it wasn’t strong enough and Chou Un learns from her that they’ve been in correspondence a lot as he often gave her advise and she respects En Shou for that. As Chou Un leaves, he sees En Shou who says that he’s here to see his future wife. This trips Chou Un up as En Shou goes on to say that Kouson San actually entrusted him to take care of Kan U when he’s gone. He didn’t say this at first since Kan U was still confused by everything, but thinks that now is the time to tell her. Chou Un can only let him pass as he feels his chest hurting, and wonders if he can really see everything through till the end as Kouson San wished for.

The next night, Kan U recalls how she was surprised by En Shou’s visit. He helped her a lot with her work but she wonders why he couldn’t do the usual letter correspondence. Chou Un comes to find her and asks about her meeting with En Shou, but later dismisses the topic. Kan U later confides in him that she has been thinking about it all along, and that she would like for it to be someone whom her father trusted and has an upright personality so as to support Yu Shuu together with her. Thing is, instead of clearly saying with “someone I like”, Kan U gets embarrassed and rephrases it to “someone I respect”. This immediately makes Chou Un misunderstand that she’s referring to En Shou and says that he understands her feelings well enough now. Even though he had been dragging things all along, Chou Un sets his resolution and asks her to switch him to a position away from her as he’s at his limit. Since there a stronghold being built at the northern borders, he asks to be placed there since his original job is a warrior after all. Kan U misunderstands that he wants to return to his original role as a warrior rather than remain to work in administrative stuff, and accepts his request upon his insistence.

Kan U sees Chou Un off and he remarks how she’s making the same lonely face as before. Kan U asks if he’ll return when the stronghold has been done up but he doesn’t make any promises. He apologises for being weak as he no longer has the confidence to suppress himself near her and it’s time for him to separate from her. Kan U feels empty ever since and buries herself in work. She can’t really sleep at night though so she often goes out to see the moon. Chou Un had always been by her side to support her but she can’t hold him back from doing what he really wants to do. En Shou appears by her side one night and asks if he can help her to fill her loneliness. Of course Kan U is unsure of how to respond so En Shou backs down but would like her to think about it. The next morning, there’s new of Sou Sou heading in their direction and immediately a meeting is called for. Kan U would rather not fight, but En Shou points out that he attacked a village. They go down to check on the situation and find that it has been blazed to the ground and there’s no signs of Sou Sou’s men – presumably they retreated for now. En Shou persuades Kan U to go to war since Sou Sou won’t stop with just this village, and may even threaten to go after Jo Shuu next. As such, Kan U decides to agree with his decision.

At Sou Sou’s side, it appears that he wants to confirm the rumours of Kan U being Kouson San’s daughter. He sees En Shou’s men at Yu Shuu though, and guesses that they’ve linked hands against him. Meanwhile, Kan U calls for the Maozoku to help and En Shou suggests a risky strategy against Sou Sou: he probably is still unaware that the Maozoku is fighting with them so they can use this to their advantage. While En Shou’s men lure Sou Sou’s men away, the Maozoku can jump in to attack Sou Sou himself. It’s risky but they decide to go with this. Kan U also called for Chou Un to return but there’s still no signs of him. As they carry out the plan, En Shou’s men suddenly retreats so Kakou En asks to go after them. Kakou Ton remains by Sou Sou’s side, who suspects that En Shou should have something up his sleeve. Indeed, the Maozoku suddenly attack him and the remaining men. At En Shou’s side, he remarks that everything was for the sake of today – the decisive battle against Sou Sou.

As Kan U confronts Sou Sou, he is puzzled by her claims about him attacking the village. But he soon figures out that they’ve both been played with by En Shou, and tells her not to believe him. He’s only using the Maozoku to defeat him and once that’s done, he will no longer have a use for them. Kan U suspects his words, but Sou Sou puts down his sword and says that he’s the only one on her side in this world. Sou Sou asks her to return with him, and refuses to leave her by En Shou’s side. He forcefully grabs Kan U, and refuses to let her go, saying that she’s his. Kan U is surprised and sees that the look in his eyes is similar to when he was going to cut off Chou Kaku’s ears. Chou Un arrives in time to separate them, and tells Kan U to come behind him – calling her by her name, though he soon reverts to his distant talking. As Sou Sou turns to attack Chou Un, Chou Un calls for Kan U to escape. Kan U refuses though, and even interferes when Chou Un is in danger, saying that there’s no way she can leave behind the person she loves. In the end, Sou Sou is heavily injured by both of them and he retreats for now – but tells Kan U to recalls his words to her. When Kan U thanks Chou Un, he appears regretful to have put her in danger yet again. He even shakes her hand away when she approaches him, and finally reveals to her about Kouson San’s death wish.

I thought that if I left you, my feelings would settle down. But it was the complete reverse. For the amount I was away, the pain just increased. Wanting to see you, and then wanting to touch you when I see you…… (……) Even so towards you……! You who is my master! I wanted to take you away……even if that would make you cry, I wanted to make you mine……I actually wanted to destroy that happiness! I didn’t think I could possess such disgusting feelings. Do you understand? The me who should be protecting you is actually the person who harm you the most. (……) You don’t need me for your happiness. You can be happy together with En Shou……my lord, my last master.

Kan U barely has time to hold Chou Un back as he returns to the northern borders, and Chou Hi and En Shou come finding her. After that, everyone looked up to En Shou highly. Even though Kan U should be happy with the peace now, she remains bothered by what Chou Un said, as well as Sou Sou’s words – it is true that En Shou would always appear at timely moments, for example it was as if he knew that Kouson Etsu was going to rebel. Moreover, Chou Un never returned after that and she only misses him more and can’t bring herself to hate him at all.

Chapter 9

After Sou Sou’s defeat, there are no longer any signs of war for now. But one day, Chou Un spots En Shou’s men heading in the direction of Jo Shuu. He hurries over to inform them and they go to confront En Shou’s army when they arrive. Indeed, Gan Ryou and Bun Shuu say that they’re here on En Shou’s orders to destroy them since they’ve no longer any need for Jyuuza – except Kan U who he’ll treat like a pet (though it’s more like to gain Yu Shuu). This also means that he wants to forcefully gain Jo Shuu. Chou Hi and Chou Seihei tell Chou Un to hurry over to protect Kan U. Both of them don’t understand why Chou Un is acting so reserved, till Chou Hi finally punches some senses into Chou Un: “Chou Un you’re an idiot! You better realise that since this is coming from an idiot like myself. You’re a huge idiot! To the point of being helpless. That isn’t aneki’s happiness, but a happiness Kouson San-sama thought of by himself! Those two are completely different things! Also! You’re thinking way too much about things like master or position! Don’t you always follow your beliefs as you like. What happened to that! Don’t be trapped by the common knowledge of the world and be as you are always! Just do what you want to do!”

Chou Seihei adds that Kouson San saw him as a son, and a parent would only wish for a child’s happiness. He’s also like a father to Kan U and trusts Chou Un with her happiness as he’s the only one who can give her it. To get lost along the way is youth, but he can mature and with that take back what was lost. Chou Un finally realises what they’re saying and thanks them before leaving for Kan U. Chou Hi is a bit regretful that he ended up supporting Chou Un, but Kan U’s happiness is what counts.

Bad End

At Kan U’s side, she clarifies with En Shou about the fact that she saw Gan Ryou and Bun Shuu leaving with an army and has a bad feeling. En Shou only tells her not to worry, and that they’re only doing some “cleaning up” of some people who may cause war. He asks her to be his wife, for the sake of everyone. Chou Un hurries over but is attacked by an onslaught of arrows and men stationed far out by En Shou, just in case. In his last words, Chou Un tells his beloved master to wait and that he hasn’t forgotten his promise to her to always protect her. He screams out her name and is killed on the spot. Kan U feels as though someone called her name, but En Shou dismisses it. He tells her that he’ll create her ideal world, a world without war, and where humans and Maozoku can co-exist – but that’s only up till when he gets tired of her.

Good End

Kan U goes to find En Shou to clarify what she heard from Sou Sou. But first, he asks her to drink some medicine as he notices that she looks tired. When he later hears her words, En Shou’s attitude changes completely as he confirms that it’s all true – he instigated En Jutsu to attack Jo Shuu, Kouson Etsu to rebel, and even burned down the village and framed Sou Sou for it so that they can go to war. All that’s left now is to rid of the Jyuuza since they’ve gained too much good reputation and he is ashamed to be associated with them. He says that he ordered his two generals to attack Jo Shuu but will keep her as his pet till he’s bored of her. Kan U is enraged but she soon starts to feel faint, as he had actually given her numbing medicine earlier on. Chou Un arrives in the nick of time and as he goes to Kan U’s side, he just wants to clarify one last thing with En Shou – whether Kouson San really entrusted Kan U to him. En Shou reveals that it’s was clearly a lie to get Chou Un out of the way, and continues to talk some more crap so that his men gather outside. Chou Un carries Kan U as he tells her that the focus is to escape rather than to defeat En Shou for now. He escapes with her to Jo Shuu, and En Shou doesn’t give chase since he thinks that they’ll die there anyway.

When Kan U feels better and the medicine has worn off, Chou Un lets her down. But she says that it’s been so long since he touched her like this and spoken to her like before, so she would like to stay this way a bit longer.

Aah, me too. I won’t leave you anymore. I won’t leave your side a second time. (hugs) There was something I never conveyed to you all this time. As someone under you, I felt that it would be a sin to say those words……I even thought that it was shameful for me to have such feelings. That’s why I couldn’t be honest. I hesitated to say those words. That it was unforgivable for me to even think about them. But I’ve already decided. I won’t be tied down by anything and just go with how I feel towards you and act accordingly with them. Kan U……I love you. (……) Aah, I’m really an idiot. Even though I love you so much, I was going to entrust you to another man. I realised it when Chou Seihei and Chou Hi told me. (……) That’s right, status, position, and my master’s words……they’re things you would place importance on normally. But they’re not necessary when it comes to my love for you. It’s simply that I love you. There’s nothing else needed. I need that amount of resolution. You have the humans, Maozoku, and a fate tied to you. The path you need to walk is far more risky than you imagine. As the man nearest to you who will protect and support you, that much resolution is required. I’ll protect you from all misfortunes. Even now I wish for you to live normally and peacefully, to not have to fight and be placed in danger. I’ll fight for you and you just need to order me from behind. (……) Aah, so this will be your last fight. (……) I’m yours.

Seeing a half-moon hanging in the sky, Chou Un compares it to themselves: Kan U is the light while he’s the shadow that will always be with her and never leave her side. The fact that she’s his master won’t change, but he would like her to remember these feelings of his now. Kan U says that she definitely won’t, since he finally confessed them, and says that she loves him too.

In Jo Shuu, En Shou appears with more men and so does Kan U and Chou Un. They agree to aim directly for En Shou, since if he’s defeated his army should naturally fall. But Gan Ryou and Bun Shuu stand in their way, and Kan U and Chou Un fight them respectively. As Kan U struggles at first, she apologises for dragging Chou Un down. But he tells her that it’s no burden to support the woman you love, and recalls how they’re one like that moon. He’s more than glad to always support her. This encourages Kan U and she discovers Gan Ryou’s weakness and defeats him. Soon after, Chou Un defeats Bun Shuu too. Left alone, En Shou begs for mercy at first but of course they can’t let him off and he is quick to mock them both. After he’s killed, Chou Un commands on Kan U’s fighting figure, but it’ll be her last as from now on he’ll do the fighting and protect her instead. As the two of them are in lovey-dovey mood, Chou Hi awkwardly reminds them that they’re still on a battlefield after all lol.

After the war, En Shou’s territory is divided up by his relatives and neighbouring warlords. Kan U returns to Yu Shuu with Chou Un, though they visit Jo Shuu one day. They have a banquet that night and apparently they’re not the only visitors – so did En Jutsu and Chou Ryou. En Jutsu explains that he was tricked by En Shou previously and came to make peace. Chou Ryou was here to find some beauty stuff for Ryo Fu and Ryuu Bi ended up inviting him here. Speaking of Ryuu Bi, he asks Kan U when they’re going to marry and Chou Hi says that there’s no need for political marriages in times of peace lol. En Jutsu picks up on the topic as he confirms that Kan U is Kouson San’s daughter, and that they can marry too. Chou Ryou offers to sew her wedding dress and wants to take measurements. Since there’s no measuring tool, he uses his hands instead pffft. Jealous, Chou Un pulls Kan U away and takes her to a room.

As Chou Un hugs Kan U, he says that she’s way too defenceless. When Kan U denies this and says that he’s over-protective, Chou Un starts to point out that her clothing is too revealing and gives her a kiss mark on her chest – in this case she’ll have to change. Kan U doesn’t have anything to change into to cover it up though, so Chou Un says that they’ll just stay here for the rest of the night then. He admits that he’s jealous and this makes Kan U happy since he usually isn’t shaken easily. He appeared so mature at the start but he’s actually rather childish. Chou Un agrees that he didn’t think he could act like this but when it comes to her, he seems to act in ways unknown to him. Kan U states this she prefers the current him now to when he distanced himself from her. Chou Un says that he’ll never leave her. She’s both his master, and the woman he loves and they’ll always be together.

Wow this took me long to write, but it’s actually the shortest Jyuuzaengi review so far. Anyway, Chou Un is really a gentleman. I was warned off that his own route has emo moments towards the end so I guess I was prepared for that lol. It’s actually a huge misunderstanding but at least it wasn’t like Shin’s in Amnesia Later which dragged on forever. This one was towards the end and stuff like status, Kouson San and the creeper En Shou played a part in the mess too, and I think it’s way more valid in a period background. His historical character was known to be sensible and meticulous, who differentiates between personal friendship and official relation. While in fiction, he was almost described as perfect with his courage, charisma etc. – and above all his loyalty to his master. Hence I felt that the game route captured all of these features about the original character, including the misunderstanding.

It felt as though Chou Un could almost turn yandere-like at parts but no, he stayed as the gentleman towards the end. And he blushes so much around Kan U and his straightforwardness, loyalty etc…it’s really hard to hate him. I liked his CG set too. Though the bad end was heartbreaking I liked it…in a heartbreaking way lol. Suzumura really delivered his last words well, and it’s amusing how he also voices Kikaku in Aoiza Ibunroku – both characters are similar. Anyway, his bad end unlocked En Shou’s special route (……), as with Ba Chou’s that will be covered in an Extras post at the end. I’ll be moving onto Kakou Ton’s route next. But I may feel like multi-tasking another game too. Hmm we’ll see. And since this game make references to the moon so often and is based on Chinese history, for those who celebrate it: 中秋节快乐！

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5 thoughts on “Jyuuzaengi ~Engetsu Sangokuden~: Chou Un’s Route”

He isn’t concerned with him being a human and Kan U being a Maozoku, yet he’s holding himself back because of status? ;;;

I have neutral feelings of his route. I do love him as a character but not his emo side. :< He is not just holding himself back, but also Kan U. He should have realized that Kan U is for battlefield. I understand his point and his protectiveness, being the perfect knight that he is. But she shines in the battlefield the most. I never thought that I'd be more frustrated to this. lol

I like his CG set too! xD And the bad end… |D There's a certain charm that that end captures. It is, indeed, beautiful in a heartbreaking way lol.

Chou Un had always seen the Maozoku as the same as himself so yeah. As for status, I think it’s that coupled with Kouson San being his master, as well as En Shou purposely misguiding him. Kouson San and En Shou’s words made it seem like he didn’t deserve to have Kan U and should serve her loyally like how he did for Kouson San, ‘cos her marrying En Shou would be best for the kingdom. It’s only until much later did he realise that he did not consider the most important factor and that’s Kan U’s feelings.

Well, yeah, if you think about his status compared to En Shou, the latter is in a much higher position that him who is only a general. ;;;
Idk, maybe I missed the carefree (okay not so carefree lol) Chou Un who turned emo. And I get frustrated because of that. ;;; Though I sort of like to see the jealous Chou Un… |D

Haha you mean jealous Chou Un near the end? XD Yeah I really like Chou Un’s personality so to see it go away for a bit in his route was sad. But from all the drama CDs I’ve heard though, he sticks true to himself haha 😀